Short Summary

Violence flared again in black townships near Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday (9 August) and major rioting was reported at Mefeking, capital of the Bophuthatswana black homeland.

Description

Violence flared again in black townships near Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday (9 August) and major rioting was reported at Mefeking, capital of the Bophuthatswana black homeland. Two youths ware shot dead in the township of Alexandra, six miles (nine kilometres) from Johannesburg and a police sergeant died of a hear attack there.

SYNOPSIS: At Alexandra, police used tear gas t disperse young people who were trying to stop black workers going to their jobs in Johannesburg. Few details have been given about the shooting of the two youths, but Reuters news agency say they were shot with police bullets.

Other groups had boarded buses taking workers into Johannesburg and ordered the passengers off as part of the "stay at home" campaign that began in Soweto last week. One crowd of youths surrounded factory on the edge of Alexandra and shouted at workers to go home. But police said the workers retaliated and drove the youths away.

The renewed violence came after a calm weekend during which government ministers said they were prepared to consider black grievances.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Vorster, has blamed what he terms "outside enemies" for the new violence. He also said the government could very definitely cope with the situation.

Mafeking is about 160 miles (255 Kilometres) west of Johannesburg, and students there burned down the Homeland Parliament building on Monday. Police reinforcements were brought in and Bophuthatswana officials were reported under police guard. The youths were mainly from local high schools and they set fire to numerous government vehicles that were inside the parliament building. A police sergeant was reported dead of a heart attack after students stopped his car, stoned it and then set it alight.

The parliament building was set on fire after students had gathered in the street chanting "black power". Whites are now being prevented from entering the township by police roadblocks. Several minor incidents of violence were also reported in other black townships near Johannesburg.